I have long been dubious about the value of certification in the travel and tourism sector. The GSTC-approved certification processes do not enable a consumer to choose a hotel with low per-night water consumption or which pays above the legal minimum wage. The certificate is opaque and lacks a meaningful connection with the consumer. The certificate fails to communicate anything meaningful to the customer. Most of them have particular passions, such as locally grown food, animal welfare, or greenhouse gas emissions.
The second problem is that travel and tourism is a service sector, and delivery depends on the staff’s service delivery. So when I stay in a certified hotel, and I carefully place my used towels back on the rack to save washing, in a certified hotel, I reasonably expect my choice to be respected; when it isn’t, I am annoyed and lose faith in certification.
I have been arguing this since 2011 – to no avail. But change is coming.
Consumer demand is growing. In 2023, 74% of travellers told Booking.com that they want travel companies to offer more sustainable travel choices. They want businesses to take responsibility for making travel more sustainable, up from 66% in 2022. 51% believe that there are not enough sustainable travel options available. 44% of travellers don’t know where to find more sustainable options.
In 2020, the European Commission found that 53 % of examined environmental claims in the EU were vague, misleading or unfounded, and 40 % were unsubstantiated. The European Commission is responding to empower consumers through the Green Claims Directive, which will, of course, have to legislate for country by country. This legislation will apply to any business selling in Europe, so it will have a global impact. The European Parliament voted in favour of the Green Claims Directive on 12 March.
The Directive is designed to protect consumers from greenwashing, and the legislative process is moving along.
The “devil will be in the detail” and the details are not yet clear.
Businesses and destinations marketing to consumers will have to meet the demands of this legislation if they are selling into the EU. Claims will need to be verified and delivered.
Consumers may be able to use the legislation to seek recompense if they are missold. It is not yet clear what responsibility will be placed on certifiers to ensure compliance. Only the guests, the customers, are present every day, able to report misselling and to take action to penalise the missellers, through social media or to demand financial recompense.
